Humanity believes it is at the forefront of knowledge, a conceit of its own intelligence. The Eternals and their numerous allies make a mockery of this assumption. The Eternals themselves manipulate space-time as we might crumple a piece of paper, it is a natural extension of their bodies. We lack the knowledge and technology to do so, though within the last few decades, we – that is the human race in general – have stumbled upon their secrets.

A first lesson can be found in something known as Calabi-Yau manifold. If you were to research this you would find:

“A Calabi–Yau manifold, also known as a Calabi–Yau space, is a special type of manifold that is described in certain branches of mathematics such as algebraic geometry. The Calabi-Yau manifold’s properties, such as Ricci flatness, also yield applications in theoretical physics. Particularly in superstring theory, the extra dimensions of spacetime are sometimes conjectured to take the form of a 6-dimensional Calabi–Yau manifold, which led to the idea of mirror symmetry. Essentially, Calabi–Yau manifolds are shapes that satisfy the requirement of space for the six “unseen” spatial dimensions of string theory, which may be smaller than our currently observable lengths as they have not yet been detected.”

It would just be a huge mistake to think of this as a modern concept despite the fact that they push our knowledge of quantum mechanics forward. For these understandings are old, ancient, eternal – and yet we have found examples of these concepts amongst artifacts attributed to the Cults of the Eternals, scraped into waxen diagrams and described through Sumerian and Hittite cuneiform records, and further afield in the depths of the Hindu Kush, drawn on walls of temples dedicated to none of the gods of the Vedas.

The Cults have known about the relationship of dimensions suggested by the Calibi-Yau manifold for thousands of years, and applied it to their magickal research. We can only guess of the powers that they have gleaned from this knowledge, though you can be certain it should be feared greatly, for it will not be applied in a way beneficial to humanity.

To the mathematicians and physicists of today, the Calibi-Yau manifold is a way to visualize the dimensions, deep inside the atom, or perhaps see the architecture of the universe itself. To the Eternals, it is a vital way into our world – to seek out every crack and crevice by which means they may pass into our world and make it their own. Like water seeping into a cracked basement.

We are never alone – and never have been – for the Eternals have cast a shadow in which we have dwelt for our entire existence.

Ken McCulloch and Denis Dyack of Precursor Games reveal two new characters from Shadow of the Eternals. Paul Caporicci announces a future vlog in which Denis will address the infamous Kotaku article. Also be sure to join the Precursor Games Community Forums at www.precursorgames.com/forums. You can post all your questions regarding Denis and the Kotaku article here.

Don't bother trying to look it up, it's just a cover and one of many. Anonymity is the key and it has served me well for decades, and us for millennia.

I represent the Ordinem de Non Visis, an order of esoteric scholars that’s been around as long as humanity's intellect challenged the world, and the fear that stalked in wake of its revelations. Since antiquity, we have watched and analyzed the subtle manipulation of human history by the Eternals and their nefarious followers.

Think of what follows as our manifesto, if you will, written in the blood of those that came before me.

For decades upon decades, centuries upon centuries, civilization after civilization, Humanity has had shadows beside its own. These shadows have walked alongside us, even guided us toward greatness and shepherded us through avenues of dark history and strife, yet only done so to forward their own goals. To this end, they have not guided, but manipulated, not shepherded, but sacrificed. Yet to see all this, you must read of our tales, our records, our notes, and see for yourself.

No, I will not write my name here, for that knowledge is so easily used against me. None of my ilk, has ever done so.

Read, think, prove these facts to yourself and then learn – for there is always more to learn, for as long as there have been Humans on this Earth (and much longer) there have been the Eternals, Old Ones, Elders and the Ancients.

Simple terms and quite misused. The truth is that their real names are unpronounceable and unable to be fully produced by sound alone: their names depend on the shaping of thought, emotion, even physical manifestations of energy – the language of magick, such as we know. No human alive that has kept their sanity or desire to hold onto the mundane world in which they feel secure is able to repeat their names eloquently. Can a bacterium know a man or woman’s name, and speak it?

These names are as close as we come, and we are found wanting in methods of describing, envisioning and understanding them. This basic rendition is more of a protection than a name, for to invoke their full names is to invite disaster. They are things of an antediluvian time, primordial, unknowable. No one has ever seen one, if they can be seen at all.

Our knowledge is infantile in comparison to these beings, and even with a glimpse of its depth, one cannot help but be overwhelmed with deep humility and incomprehensible fear by our own vulnerability. Once this is understood, you start to realize why we call ourselves the Order of the Unseen; we are an ancient order but ephemeral in comparison to the Eternals. Their manipulations of time and space are done as easily as breathing, even their cults have known things about the universe we are only just discovering.

But to you, there are only stories. From these alone you must extrapolate details, which you can then test to demonstrate their veracity, and henceforth come to see the truth. Do not believe what I say. Prove it to yourself. Faith is for them, not us – it is one of the few things that separate their factions from ours.

I’m Shawn Jackson, the Chief Operating Officer at Precursor Games. I just wanted to give a little bit of background on myself for those who don’t know me, as well as talk about bringing Shadow of the Eternals into production.

How I got here

I’ve wanted to make videogames ever since I was 15 when Resident Evil 2 came out. From there I really got into games like Syphon Filter, Thrill Kill, Street Fighter, Command and Conquer, Halo and Battle For Middle Earth. Fast forward to the future: I took art centric programs in college and one of them was a postgrad diploma in gaming. From there I debuted my career as an Environment Artist at Ubisoft Montreal, Silicon Knights in 2007 and now a COO at Precursor Games.

What am I responsible for?

My job description is simple; get the project done and make it great! However, that description comes with many difficult challenges. This does not mean I get a whip to crack off the backs of our team members and expect them to work harder. I’ve been in the thick of development as an environment artist with strict deadlines for many years - I’ve seen many different approaches to this. Fortunately, I have had the privilege of having some great mentors who have taught me the value of teamwork and time management in a development studio environment. I’ve learned that if someone is enthusiastic in their work, they will take it upon themselves to manage their time wisely and do the best job that they can.

The Opportunity - Three pillars that make Shadow of the Eternals Unique

Crowdfunding a project has a unique set of opportunities that you typically wouldn’t see through traditional game development. At Precursor Games I feel that the combination of Crowdfunding, Community Created Content and Episodic Content makes this opportunity so special. It is something that deserves attention.

With crowdfunding we are able to work with our community and retain creative control in the development cycle. The people can decide directly with their wallet whether they would like to see that the game comes to the marketplace.

Our community is very important to us and by directly involving them in the development process, we are able to work with them to create unique ideas. This way, our community can get their own content into the game in which otherwise wouldn’t be possible in a traditional development cycle.

Episodic content allows us to work on portions of the game at a time and then look to our fans for the feedback. There are two ways that everyone can benefit from this model. First, they see the development team responding to their ideas and feedback sooner than with a traditional game. Second, we can gauge the gamer’s anticipation with regards to new ideas, concepts, design mechanisms, or stories and then use that information to refine our work.

Precursor Games wants to make the best games that it can and I truly believe that we are going to create something that we can all be proud of. Thank you all for your continued support!